Anti-soiling polyester textile material

ABSTRACT

THERE IS PROVIDED A METHOD OF PREVENTING WET-SOIL REDEPOSITION AND IMPROVING THE STAIN-RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS OF TEXTILE MATERIALS COMPRISED OF FROM ABOUT 20 TO ABOUT 100 PERCENT (BY WEIGHT) OF POLYESTER COMPRISING THE STEP OF INCORPORATING INTO SAID TEXTILE MATEIAL FROM ABOUT 0.0001 TO ABOUT 10 PERCENT (BY WEIGHT OF POLYESTER FIBER IN SAID TEXTILE MATERIAL) OF HYDROXYPROPYL METHYL CELLOUSE PRIOR TO THE TIME SAID TEXTILE MATERIAL IS LAUNDERED.

United States Patent ANTI-SOILING POLYESTER TEXTILE MATERIAL Alex S. Forschirm, Lake Hiawatha, and Louis E. Trepasso, Westfield, NJ., assignors to Celanese Corporation, New York, N.Y.

No Drawing. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 845,039, July 25, 1969. This application Apr. 2, 1970, Ser. No. 22,140

Int. Cl. B2311 27/06; D06m 15/04 US. Cl. 117-138.8 F 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is provided a method of preventing wet-soil redeposition and improving the stain-release characteristics of textile materials comprised of from about 20 to about 100 percent (by Weight) of polyester comprising the step of incorporating into said textile material from about 0.0001 to about 10 percent (by weight of polyester fiber in said textile material) of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose prior to the time said textile material is laundered.

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 845,039 filed July 25, 1969 and now abandoned.

Wet-soil-redeposition has been recognized as a major source of soiling for a number of years. In simplified terms this phenomenon is the spreading-out of localized soil over the entire area of a textile product being cleaned or as sometimes happens the transfer of soil from a heavily soiled product onto a lightly soiled product during cleaning. There are certain generally accepted theories as to how redeposition occurs during laundering.

When soiled articles are placed in a laundry machine with water and detergent, theoretically the soil is removed from the fabrics and dispersed by the detergent. The degree of soil removal from the fabric is dependent upon many factors, including water temperature, type and amount of soil, type and amount of detergent, and the chemical composition of the textile fibers being laundered. If the detergent present in the wash water is not functioning with the proper degree of eificiency, all of the soil will not be held in dispersion. In practical terms, this results in what can be described as a three-way equilibrium between soil remaining on the surface of the fabric, soil dispersed by the detergent and soil which is mechanically suspended in the wash water by the agitation forces of the laundry equipment. The laundry machine represents a dynamic system; this results in a general re-distribution of the soil not held in dispersion over the surfaces of the fabric in the wash load.

In an effort to overcome wet-soil-redeposition, and especially wet-soil-redeposition on cotton fiber containing fabrics, the detergent industry has incorporated certain additives such as for instance sodiumcarboxymethyl cellulose. Redeposition of soil in the detergent process consists essentially of the deposition of dispersed particulate soil which may be considered to be in a colloidal state onto a fabric in a detergent liquor. Colloidal properties arise from a large value for the ratio of surface area to mass, although this does not, of course, extend to molecular dimensions. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider that the fabric, with its very irregular surface and consequently large surface area, should also exhibit colloidal behavior in a detergent bath. On the basis of the above assumption, soil redeposition may be considered as being equivalent to the coagulation of the colloidal dispersion and the colloidal stability therefore should be applicable. The system consisting of dispersed soil and fabric detergent liquor may be treated as a colloidal system. Colloid stability or soil redeposition is governed by the result of three component forces: (1) an electrical force which may be either attractive or repulsive and that is due to a double layer interaction; (2) an attractive force that arises from the dispersion forces, and (3) a nonelectrical repulsive force that is due to a non-electrical interaction of the surface adsorption layers of the particles. The ionogenic whiteness retention additives such as the sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose functions primarily by increasing the electrical repulsive force as a result of being adsorbed on soil and/or fabric. Carboxymethyl cellulose however, has not been proved to be suitable for incorporation into heavy duty liquid detergent mixtures, nor has carboxymethyl cellulose completely solved the soil redeposition problem in polyester fiber containing fabrics.

It is thus an object of this invention to provide a method of preventing wet-soil redeposition and improving the stain release characteristics of polyester textile materials. In accordance with this invention, there is prO- vided a method of preventing wet-soil redeposition and improving the stain-release characteristics of textile materials comprised of from about 20 to about percent (by weight) of polyester comprising the step of incorporating into said textile material from about 0.0001 t about 10 percent (by Weight of polyester fiber in said textile material) of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose prior to the time said textile material is laundered.

In the process of this invention, from about 0.0001 to about 10 percent (by weight of polyester fiber in the textile material) of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose is incorporated into a polyester textile material, although it is preferred to incorporate from about 0.1 to about 2 percent of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose into said textile material, and it is most preferred to incorporate from about 0.5 to about 1.5 percent of said additive into the textile material. The polyester textile material used in the process of this invention is comprised'of from about 20 to about 100 percent (by weight) of linear synthetic polyester, i.e., polyester prepared from terephthalic acid or its dialkyl ester and a polymethylene glycol of the formula HO(C-H ),,OH wherein n is an integer of from 2 to about 8. It is preferred that said textile material be comprised of at least 50 weight percent of said polyester and that n be from 2 to 4. In the most preferred embodiment, when n is 2, poly( ethylene terephthalate) is used in the process of this invention.

The hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose may be incorporated into said textile material by methods well known to the art. Thus, e.g., it can be added to fiber by running fiber through a bath comprised of said additive, by padding said additive onto fiber or fabric, by spraying it onto 3 the textile material during beaming, by putting it on with perature, the lower the solubility; and it is thus believed a lube wheel, etc. that other wet-soil-redeposition agents (such as, e.g., poly- Ihis process of this invention is applicable to any texhydroxyethylmethacrylate) which exhibit an inverse solutile material such as, e.g., fiber, yarn, fabric, etc. It is bility effect should work well as wet soil redeposition preferred to work with fiber. 5 agents and afford protection to the treated textile material In the process of this invention, hydroxypropyl methyl through many launderings. cellulose is applied to the textile material prior to the time Other synthetic textile materials were treated with hysaid textile material is laundered. Unlike other various droxypropyl methyl cellulose to determine whether it water soluble polymers, it affords durable antisoil prowould impart wet-soil-redeposition characteristics to them. tection to the treated textile material. It was found that treated fabric comprised of nylon,

The basic structure for hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose treated fabric comprised of acrylic, and treated fabric may be shown according to the following formula wherein comprised of cellulose triacetate had antisoil properties It is a finite number: imparted to them by the additive of this invention and that H (in T111003: H (r0113 (LOH; H H H H 0 (ion, 11 H n H o H H H H OH *0 l 0 HzQOH; OCH: l1 H2011 L in. 8H.

Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose may be prepared by said antisoil properties were still exhibited by said fabrics swelling cotton linters or wood pulp with a caustic soda after five launderings.

solution to produce alkali cellulose which is treated with Although the above examples and descriptions of this methyl chloride and propylene oxide yielding cellulose invention have been very specifically illustrated, many ether with varying ratios of propylene glycol ether subother modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled 1 stitution to methoxyl substitution on the anhydroglucose in the art upon a reading of this disclosure. These are units. intended to be comprehended within the scope of this In order to illustrate applicants invention, the below invention. mentioned example is presented but is not to be deemed What is claimed is: limitative thereof. Unless otherwise stated, all parts are 1, A ethod of preventing wet-soil redeposition and y weight and all temperatures are in degrees gr e improving the stain-release characteristics of polyester fiber comprising the step of incorporating into said fiber EXAMPUE 1 from about 0.0001 to about 10 weight percent of hydroxy- 100 percent polyester fabrics were submersed in 2 percent aqueous solutions of various water soluble polymers, the fabrics were then dried in an air circulating oven at 80 degrees centigrade for 30 minutes, and laundered. After laundered.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein from about 0.1 to

about 2 weight percent of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose is incorporated into said fiber.

i1 rti f th 15 br'cs re :fgi the antlso pmpe es 0 e a 1 we 3. The process of claim 2, wherein said polyester 1s The following water soluble polymers were used: p fl y tel'ePhfllillatel polyacrylic acid References Cited i g i i UNITED STATES PATENTS po ye y ene 0x1 e ethylene-maleic anhydride cop lymers l $35 et 3 i ij ilgfii anhydnde mp0 ymer 213011509 11/1942 Bock et al. 117-1395 ff i 3 1 eth 2,663,989 12/1953 Schlatter et al 117-1395 y xy y y 3,068,120 12/1962 Jacobson et a1. 117-1395 X Each of these materials afforded some degree of antisoil 2,979,157 4/1961 Clark 117-166 X protection to the treated fabric but, in each instance, said 3,252,826 5/1966 Salzmger 117-166 X protection was completely lost after only one laundering. 3,226,250 12/1965 Reithel 117-166 X in the manner described above, a 100 Percent Polyester 3,455,714 7/1969 BlShop et al. 117-166 X fabric was treated with a 2 percent solution of hydroxy- I propyl methyl cellulose. After tflilvci larlilnutlierings i1 thzhfigbtrig WILLIAM B M ARTIN, Primary Exammer treated withh drox rop lme y ce ose sti e 1e antisoiling pro pertie s? It believed by applicants that this CHILDS Asslstant Exammer substantivity for the surface of the polyester fiber is a U S Cl XR function of the fact that hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose exhibits an inverse solubility effect-the higher the tem- 117-1383 N, 144, 166

propyl methyl cellulose prior to the time said fiber is 

